Simon Fry appointed to upcoming Test Series in Zimbabwe

Australian umpire Simon Fry has been appointed by the ICC to the Zimbabwe versus West Indies Test Series in Bulawayo.

Simon Fry will has been appointed to the two Test Series in Zimbabwe and will join fellow countryman Paul Reiffel and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena. Javagal Srinath will oversee proceedings as Match Referee.

Fry travels to Zimbabwe for the third time in his international career. His first assignment was in July 2015 when he stood in three One-Day Internationals between Zimbabwe and India. He then returned in October last year to officiate in two Tests between the hosts and Sri Lanka. Whilst all five games were played in Harare, this trip he travels southwest to the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Fry has stood in a total of six Test Matches across five different countries. He made his debut in October 2015 in Sri Lanka who hosted the West Indies, before a two-match Series in Zimbabwe (against Sri Lanka) in October/November 2016. Fry had a change of scenery not long after when he travelled to New Zealand to stand in a match in Hamilton between the Black Caps and Pakistan. He then had an unexpected call up to cover an injured Reiffel, and travelled at short notice to officiate in Chennai in the fifth and final Test between India and England in December. In July this year he officiated as Third Umpire at the Home of Cricket before on-field appointment in Nottingham the following week. He has been appointed as Third Umpire on six further occasions.

During a time when most of Australian cricket is in hibernation, Fry has been busy over the winter period. Since the close of the Australian 2016/17 cricket season, Fry has been appointed to the West Indies versus Pakistan One-Day International Series in April; England versus South Africa Test Series throughout July; and then returned to the United Kingdom in September for the five game One-Day International Series between the hosts and West Indies. Fry stood in two JLT One-Day Cup games in Sydney last week prior to his departure for his first Test on 21 October.

In the limited over format, Fry has 36 One-Day Internationals to his name and a further 17 as TV Umpire. Like his Test commitments, Fry has stood in One-Day Internationals around the world, including the New Zealand; Sri Lanka; United Kingdom (including Ireland and Wales); West Indies and Zimbabwe as well as 19 on home soil. These appointments include three on-field appearances during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

At the close of the 2016/17 Australian cricket season, Fry was announced as the CA Umpire of the Year Award recipient for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time. Awarded annually, the Award is presented to an ICC Elite Panel or Cricket Australia National Panel Umpire adjudged all-round most outstanding, with consideration not only to an umpire’s on-field performance but also their contribution to elite umpiring in Australia by way of significant achievement or off-field work.